Complementary doping of semiconducting materials, which entails the creation of specified n-type regions (i.e., regions where the conductivity is dominated by electrons) and p-type regions (i.e. regions where the conductivity is dominated by holes), is necessary for the formation of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry that is found in many modern electronic devices. As fabrication technology, and thus the size of devices, is scaled down, new thin-film materials will be relied upon to replace bulk CMOS materials. As such, new complementary doping methods will be needed to implement these post-CMOS thin-film-based technologies.
Existing doping methods involve implanting or diffusing dopant atoms into the bulk (i.e., non-surface layers) of a material, thus generating an electron- or hole-populated region. While such methods are suitable for bulk materials, such methods will be largely ineffective on thin-film materials, particularly on films having only a limited number of layers.
There accordingly remains a need in the art for improved doping techniques for thin-film materials. There is a specific need for complementary doping methods that are less intrusive than bulk implantation or diffusion would be on a thin film material. It would be beneficial if such methods could provide greater control in the introduction and positioning of dopant atoms than existing methods. It is to the provision of such methods that the various embodiments of the present invention are directed.